September 2019 Course Descriptions

March Overview
- Classes meet September 14-15 from Saturday at 12:30 pm (lunch at noon) to Sunday at 12:00 noon.
- Classes begin on Monday, August 12.
- Classes end on Friday, October 11 (if taken for credit).
- Tuition is $100 to audit, $195 for credit, which includes your overnight stay at Upton Hall & all meals.
- If you prefer a hotel, we have a special rate of $75.50 (including tax) at nearby Senate Luxury Suites.
- Complete a short application for the $100 Jim Upton lay scholarship.
- Register online for classes.
Conversational Evangelism
Information coming soon!
Diakonia II (D)
This course continues the development of an understanding of the diaconate, particularly in the Episcopal Church. This class looks at the deacon’s role as a bridge between the church and the world, focusing on interpreting the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world to the Church and on serving marginalized people. The course will look at some of the theological underpinnings of these aspects of diaconal ministry while also considering what it might look like to perform diaconal ministry in today’s world and be a prophetic voice to the Church
Book List
Introduction to Scripture
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the Bible, both Old and New Testaments and begin to answer some fundamental questions, such as: Where did the Bible come from? What are its sources of development? What do we believe about authorship? What is the cultural context of our sacred scriptures? What translations exist and why do they matter? How does the Episcopal Church view and use the Bible? How does the Bible fit into our post-Christian, post-Modern age?
Book List
The Rt. Rev. Michael P. Milliken is the 5th Bishop of the Diocese of Western Kansas (Resigned). As a Priest for 45 years, Bishop Milliken has served parishes in Kentucky and Kansas. He holds degrees from the University of Kentucky; The Episcopal Theological Seminary in Kentucky; and Xavier University in Cincinnati. Over the years, in addition to parish work and serving the wider church in many ways, Bishop Milliken has taught Contemporary Theology at Xavier University as well as courses in Old & New Testament; Morals and Ethics; and Comparative Religion at the Hutchinson Community College.
Old Testament III: Prophets and Writings (P)
This course is a close examination of the Prophets and Writings of the Hebrew Bible (which, for our purposes, will include Isaiah through Malachi, Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah). The course will focus on the historical settings, literary artistry, and major themes of these books and is meant to equip participants with the tools necessary to read biblical texts critically and to appreciate their complexity. To these ends we will read the biblical text primarily from the perspectives of its ancient authors and readers.
Book List
Information coming soon!
Diakonia II (D)
This course continues the development of an understanding of the diaconate, particularly in the Episcopal Church. This class looks at the deacon’s role as a bridge between the church and the world, focusing on interpreting the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world to the Church and on serving marginalized people. The course will look at some of the theological underpinnings of these aspects of diaconal ministry while also considering what it might look like to perform diaconal ministry in today’s world and be a prophetic voice to the Church
Book List
- Brueggemann, Walter. The Prophetic Imagination (Second Edition). Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001.
- Jefferts Schori, Katharine. The Heartbeat of God: Finding the Sacred in the Middle of Everything. Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths Publishing, 2011. (pp. 1-126)
- Mulligan, Mary Alice, and Burrow, Rufus, Jr. Standing in the Margin. Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2004. (pp. 49-134)
- Watson-Epting, Susanne. Prophetic Voice of the Deacon. Association for Episcopal Deacons Monograph Series #19, 2008.
- Whittall, Maylanne. Citizens of the World - Servants of Christ .
North American Association for the Diaconate; 1994.- The monographs by Watson-Epting and Whittall are available to purchase as downloads at http://www.episcopaldeacons.org/monographs--working-papers.html .
- Watson-Epting, Susanne. Unexpected Consequences: The Diaconate Renewed. New York: Morehouse Publishing, 2015.
- The Venerable Betsy Bennett taught philosophy at Hastings College for sixteen years, and has been an Episcopal deacon since 2004. She currently serves as Archdeacon for the Diocese of Nebraska. The focus of her diaconal ministry is religious environmental work, which includes writing the Green Sprouts blog. A 2008 GreenFaith Fellow, she has been active in several religious environmental organizations as well as the Association for Episcopal Deacons and Spiritual Directors International. Her M.A. in philosophy is from The Ohio State University.
Introduction to Scripture
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the Bible, both Old and New Testaments and begin to answer some fundamental questions, such as: Where did the Bible come from? What are its sources of development? What do we believe about authorship? What is the cultural context of our sacred scriptures? What translations exist and why do they matter? How does the Episcopal Church view and use the Bible? How does the Bible fit into our post-Christian, post-Modern age?
Book List
- What is the Bible by Rob Bell
- Transforming Scripture by Frank Wade
- The New Oxford Annotated Bible, with Apocrypha (Revised 4th Edition), Oxford Press
- A Word to Live By by Lauren Winner
- How Anyone Can Read the Bible by L. William Countryman
The Rt. Rev. Michael P. Milliken is the 5th Bishop of the Diocese of Western Kansas (Resigned). As a Priest for 45 years, Bishop Milliken has served parishes in Kentucky and Kansas. He holds degrees from the University of Kentucky; The Episcopal Theological Seminary in Kentucky; and Xavier University in Cincinnati. Over the years, in addition to parish work and serving the wider church in many ways, Bishop Milliken has taught Contemporary Theology at Xavier University as well as courses in Old & New Testament; Morals and Ethics; and Comparative Religion at the Hutchinson Community College.
Old Testament III: Prophets and Writings (P)
This course is a close examination of the Prophets and Writings of the Hebrew Bible (which, for our purposes, will include Isaiah through Malachi, Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah). The course will focus on the historical settings, literary artistry, and major themes of these books and is meant to equip participants with the tools necessary to read biblical texts critically and to appreciate their complexity. To these ends we will read the biblical text primarily from the perspectives of its ancient authors and readers.
Book List
- New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (a study Bible will prove most useful, e.g., The HarperCollins Study Bible or The New Oxford Annotated Bible)
- Leclerc, Thomas L. Introduction to the Prophets: Their Stories, Sayings, and Scrolls. 2nd edition. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2017.
- Clifford, Richard J. The Wisdom Literature. Interpreting Biblical Texts Series. Nashville: Abingdon. 1998.
- Coogan, Michael D. The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
- Adele Berlin, Marc Zvi Brettler, Michael Fishbone, eds., The Jewish Study Bible: Featuring the Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Brueggemann, Walter. The Prophetic Imagination. 2nd edition. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001.
- Dr. Melissa Tubbs Loya has a PhD in Hebrew Bible from Boston College and a masters in the subject from Yale Divinity School. Her current research interests focus on prophetic warnings of decreation. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska.